You're All I See
by andnowforsomethingdifferent
Summary: due to popular demand, this is Reid's POV from the story 'Visible.' it can stand alone, and it can be read in either order, but i'd read both.  ReidxOC
1. Meeting

_Author's Note: Due to popular demand, I'm writing Spencer's view of _Visible_. __No, I don't own Criminal Minds, just to make that clear. This first chapter is dedicated to _AdelaidsLament_, because you're cool. So without further ado, please enjoy _You're All I See_, and don't forget to review!_

**Chapter One – Meeting**

I stood in Barnes and Noble's _Classics _Section, reading Dante's _Inferno_. I heard someone walk in the front door and I looked up. She was beautiful. It was like everything around me went out of focus and she was the only thing I could see. Brown wavy hair flowed over her shoulders and even from a distance, I could see the light in her gray eyes. She laughed when someone walked over to her; it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. When her friend put his arm around her, I was plagued with jealousy. I shook my head and forced my eyes back to the book. _'I don't even know the girl. I've seen her for what, five seconds? There is no reason to feel possessive. Focus, read the book.' _

My eyes were pulled back to her, like some unexplainable gravitational force. This was madness! _'You're Reid,' _I said to myself, _'you stick to statistics and logic because there's no way a girl like that would go for you,' _I trained my eyes back on the text. I read the same sentence five times, and I still didn't know what it said. My eyes flicked back over to the girl. She had her legs resting on her friend's lap, but as soon as he handed her a book, she leaned in and gave him a hug. She meant it as a thank you, but he took it for more. I could tell by the way his arms lingered around her as she tried to pull back. Another surge of jealousy flashed through my thoughts.

I focused on her as she flipped through the pages of her book, faster than an average person. I slowly made my way closer to her, captivated by the image of her reading. I mentally slapped myself for acting like some kind of stalker. When I got close to her, I stopped behind one of the shelves, content to watch her read. It was amazing, the way her facial expressions portrayed her thoughts perfectly. When something confused her, she knitted her eyebrows together, forming a 'V.' When she read something sad, she unconsciously bit her lower lip, and when she read something interesting or exciting, her eyes flew faster over the pages; like she couldn't soak up the words fast enough.

Soon, she turned the last page of the book, a small smile on her face. This was my chance. I was going to go talk to her. But fear of rejection and a painful knowledge of my awkwardness around women made me stay in place. Then I watched as she pulled a copy of _The Empty Planet _from her gray messenger bag. I smiled, making myself walk over to her.

"You read that pretty fast," I stuttered, hating the way my voice shook. She rolled her eyes, clearly put off. I cringed, scared that I'd already offended her. She sucked in a breath and I prepared myself for a reprimand. But it never came. When she looked at me, her eyes changed, and her brow creased in confusion. Her expression softened as she looked at me, and I smiled at her, giving her a small wave. She smiled at me nodding.

"Yeah, I guess so. It freaks my friends out, so I come here to read," she said, with a small smile. Instantly more comfortable, I somehow replied in a steady voice.

"I can understand that," I responded, trying to control my nerves as I sat down in the chair across from her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning towards me. I guessed she was interested in talking to me, which put me at ease.

"I read pretty fast too," I said, gaining confidence as she seemed so absorbed in my answer, "my coworkers give me a hard time about it sometimes." She seemed to be studying me, and I looked up and met my eyes. They were a mix of sympathy and a softness I couldn't identify. I lost my train of though for a moment, before I pulled myself back to reality. "What's your name, by the way?" I asked her, hoping I wasn't being too forward. Her eyes focused, and she looked slightly confused by my question.

"Amanda, but my friends call me Leigh, my middle name. I mean you can call me Amanda, I guess; if you want to. That's what my family calls me. I don't really have a preference," She was babbling, and I could see the color rising in her cheeks. I slipped my card in her book as I smiled at her.

"Amanda Leigh," I repeated. Something about this girl was different. I wasn't as awkward around her; she was easy to talk to, "I'm Spencer Reid, but my friends call me Reid. Call me either, I don't really have a preference," I smiled as I saw the blush rising on her cheeks. _'Whoa, where did that come from?'_ I thought to myself, _'Never in my life have I flirted with a girl and not made a complete fool of myself.'_ She laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"Spencer," she repeated softly. I loved the way her voice made my name sound, and I was distracted by the way her lips brushed together. I felt the blush rising up on my face as I reached out to shake her hand. As soon as she touched my fingers, she looked down at our hands, surprised by something. She smiled as I pulled my hand away, and I noticed a faint tingling where her hand had touched mine. I stared at her as I rested my arms on my legs, leaning towards her. Her eyes were so deep, emotive. Right now, she was stressed about something, but a quiet longing overpowered it. I wondered what she was thinking. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and I watched as she shook her head, like she was clearing her thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Reid," I heard Hotch's voice on the other end of the line, "we've got a case. It's a bad one; we need you to come in."

"Yessir," I said, snapping my phone shut. I reluctantly stood up, "That was my boss," I said as I tried to work up the nerve to ask her out. "I need to go…work," I racked my mind, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"Wait!" apparently she thought I was leaving, but I was firmly rooted in this spot, "You wanna go get some coffee sometime, of something?" I smiled, completely relieved. She was nervous, talking almost too fast for me to understand her. "I mean I know we just met and all, but I'd sorta like to get to know you better, maybe? So I thought…" she trailed off, her face flaming with embarrassment.

"Sure, I'd love to," I grinned at her, which seemed to put her at ease. I turned away, overjoyed by the prospect that I, Spencer Reid, had a date.

"Wait," she called me back, "I don't have your number,"

"Check your book," I responded as I walked away, smiling to myself. As I walked out of the bookstore, I saw her friend from behind the counter glaring at me for no apparent reason. If looks could kill, I wouldn't be in good shape. I quickened my pace and left the store. Smiling to myself, I walked across the parking lot to my ancient car.

_Author's Note: Okay, this was my first time writing from Spencer's POV, so bear with me. Reviews=updates, so click the button if you want another chapter. And I'll be super happy if you tell me what you think. Ok, that's all. Review!_


	2. Four by Four

**Chapter Two – Four by Four **

I was smiling as I walked into the bullpen, my mind on Leigh.

"Hey pretty boy, who's got you grinning?" Morgan laughed as I walked in. My cheeks burned as I tried unsuccessfully to remain nonchalant. He was getting ready to question me, but JJ saved me from the embarrassment by calling us all into the conference room. When we were all seated, she began the briefing.

"This is a local case. Yesterday, the bodies of four girls, Maggie Wheaton, Emma Rosen, Hailey Blackmon, and Angela Brenner were recovered, all completely drained of blood from cuts on their wrists," she said as pictures of the bodies flashed up on the screen, "All are in their twenties; brunette, same eye color, petite. They were found together in the woods off I-95 near Barta Road, but it looks like he spent some time with them. They were all laid out, arms crossed over their chest, covered with leaves and other debris. Autopsy reports said that they were all killed within hours of each other. However none of the bodies revealed any injury aside from the wrists."

"Any sexual assault?" Prentiss asked.

"None. All of the girls were reported missing two days before their bodies were discovered, so he's spending time with them before he kills them. Three more girls, Jessica Riche, Leslie Novak, and Hannah Green were reported missing today, one yesterday; Sara Merle. Her roommate called in saying that she never came home from work. The latest report came in two hours ago."

"So we have two days at best to find them," Hotch said from the corner.

"Maybe not, Merle went missing yesterday.

"So we may only have a day," Prentiss said softly. We were all quiet for a moment.

"They all share similar physical characteristics," Rossi noted, breaking the silence, "Could it be transference?"

"Maybe. There probably was, or is, a woman in his life he's close to; a mother, sister, girlfriend," Hotch answered.

"Are there any connections between the victims aside from their appearance?" I asked.

"None that were reported." JJ answered.

"I'll get Garcia on it," Hotch said, pulling out his cell phone. As soon as he hung up, he turned back towards us. "Morgan, Rossi, go and visit the crime scene. See if you can find anything the police missed. Prentiss and I will visit the missing girls' families. Reid, stay here and start working on a profile. Hurry, we may not have much time," he walked out the door, Prentiss right behind him. JJ walked out soon after; followed by Morgan and Rossi. I stood up slowly before walking to get the case files. Flipping through the photographs, I kept seeing Leigh in the girls' features; the shape of her mouth, the set of her cheekbones, the angle of her jaw. I shook my head before I continued reading. _'You talked to the girl for five minutes and you're already seeing her! I've finally lost it,' _I said to myself, but I was unable to completely shake the feeling that maybe it wasn't just me.

**BDBDBDBDBD**

That night we were all seated at the conference table, Garcia on speaker.

"Ok, I looked at the missing girls' credit card records, and they all had one thing in common. They each bought books at the Barnes and Noble on Springfield Center Drive, so I pulled up a list of employees. The owner is Howard Tate; he's thirty-five, married with two children. We have ten cashiers, none of whom had a criminal record, and two people working the café in the back; Michael Stephens and Samantha Moore. Both of their records are spotless. The only person that had a criminal record was the owner; domestic violence. It was five years ago and the case was expunged.

"Can you get us a picture of his wife?" Hotch asked.

"I'm sending it to your handhelds as we speak," she responded happily.

"Brown hair, blue eyes, slight figure; it fits the victimology; think this is our guy?" Prentiss asked.

"He fits the profile," I said, "Garcia, did you find his address?"

"Of course! He lives at 6931 Ruskin Street in Springfield."

"Let's go," Morgan announced as he stood up.

I stood on the front stoop with Morgan, waiting for Howard Tate to open the door. The door cracked open and he looked out at us with cold, calculating brown eyes. I had a bad feeling about this man already. Morgan flashed his badge.

"FBI, we're going to need to take you in for questioning."

**BDBDBDBDBD**

I watched through the two-way mirror as Morgan questioned Tate. He was hiding something. He wouldn't make eye contact, and when he did it was because he was being overly defensive. He rubbed is forearm when he was asked a hard question. I guessed it was his nervous tic. I heard Morgan talking to him through the video feed.

"Does the name Maggie Wheaton mean anything to you?" he questioned, leaning on the table, sliding the picture of her body across the table. I saw a flash of recognition in his eyes.

"No," he lied, "why should it?"

"She's a regular at your store,"

"I don't pay attention to customers," he responded, talking faster than normal, "I just stay in my office, I don't have time to go into the store and talk with customers. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my employees; you can't expect me to remember all my customers too!" His voice rose with nervousness as he talked. Prentiss walked up beside me.

"Is this our guy?" she asked me.

"Probably. He's obviously hiding something, and he lied when Morgan asked if he knew Maggie Wheaton. We don't have any proof yet, but I have a feeling some will surface." I answered. I focused my attention back to Morgan and Tate.

"…Hailey Blackmon or Angela Brenner? Do they sound familiar? No? Well how about Sara Merle? She went missing two days ago; do you know anything about that?"

"No, I don't." he stated coldly, looking Morgan in the eyes. '_Either he's telling the truth, or suddenly he became a very good liar,'_ I thought. Prentiss and I turned around when we hear the click of JJ's heels as she walked up behind us, on the phone.

"…ok Hotch, I'll get right on it," she snapped the phone shut and looked up. "Another girl, Macy Winters, was just reported missing. Her shift at the Silver Diner ended two hours ago but she never made it home. Her sister called the manager, who said that she left on time. Hotch and Rossi went to talk with the manager. She corresponds with all the previous victims. We've got the police searching the woods where the previous bodies were found." I looked back at Tate and dialed Morgan's cell.

"Yeah," he answered shortly.

"We've got the wrong guy," I answered.


	3. Waiting Games and Rainstorms

_Author's Note: Ok, I'm not even going to try to come up with an excuse as to why I haven't updated in so long, sorry y'all. I'll try to do better. This story has been placed on the back burner since school started back, but I've finally got the next chapter up; so now after an extreme case of writer's block, I present chapter three *dramatic trumpet fanfare plays*_

"_We've got the wrong guy."_

**Chapter Three – Waiting Games and Rainstorms**

"We've gone over every possible angle; we know the victimology, we found the connection between the victims, the one lead we had was the wrong guy, and everyone else checks out. What are we missing?" Morgan asked, slamming his palm on the table.

"The only thing we can do is wait and hope for him to make a mistake," Hotch said gravely, the usual scowl on his face, "Everyone go home, get some rest; you've been working for two days. I'll call you as soon as something comes up." I stood slowly before walking through the bullpen to my desk. I slug my messenger bag over my head and walked to the elevator. I knew I was missing something; that one clue that would make everything fall into place. I was scared that missing piece may be another body. When the elevator door opened with a quiet ding, I looked up from my shoes and walked into the parking deck; headed towards my old Volvo.

When I got to my apartment, I unlocked the door; dropping my messenger bag in the entryway. I started the coffee maker before falling onto the couch out of frustration. I rested my head in my hands, resting my elbows on my knees when my cell phone rang. "Hello?" I asked, my exhaustion creeping into my voice.

"Oh, it's Leigh, from the bookstore? Did I call at a bad time?" a nervous voice responded. Leigh. I instantly sat up straighter.

"No, I just got home, actually." There was a brief pause as I tried to think of something to say, but she saved me the embarrassment of whatever I may have said by speaking up first.

"So do you still want to go out for coffee? I know a great place just down the road and I thought maybe we could go tomorrow sometime…?" I could tell she was nervous. She was talking so fast I could barely make out her words, and her voice grew continually quieter. I smiled, finally, someone almost as awkward as me.

"Okay. Um, I'll meet you there tomorrow night at seven, I guess? After I get off work?" I couldn't believe I was asking out this girl I had known for about five minutes. _'Wait,' _I thought to myself, '_she probably doesn't even think about it as a date. She said she just wanted to get to know me better. That doesn't necessarily mean a date, right? This could just be coffee between two acquaintances. _

"It's a date," she replied. I grinned. Okay, so maybe she did consider it a date. I didn't say anything; I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that someone actually wanted to go on a date with me; a beautiful, amazing, someone who was completely out of my league. I still wasn't convinced it was real.

"Yeah, I'll see you there," I said when I realized she was still waiting for my reply. She stammered out a quick goodbye before disconnecting. I hoped I hadn't already messed up, but I wouldn't put it beyond me. I sank back onto the couch, smiling at the fact that I had a date with Amanda Leigh. _I _had a date with _Amanda Leigh._ _'What kind of crazy universe am I living in?'_ I thought to myself before retiring to my room.

**BDBDBDBDBD**

I saw her sitting at the small metal table, staring out the window. A waitress brought her a cup of coffee, breaking her out of her trance. I watched as she poured three sugars into her drink, and began to slowly dissolve it into the coffee. I smiled, she didn't use as much sugar as I did, but it was more than the average person liked. I walked over to her. She looked up as she heard me approaching.

"Hey," she was so beautiful when she smiled. Her full lips parted, revealing a set of perfect white teeth, and her cheeks revealed a pair of the most adorable dimples. The corner of her eyes crinkled, and her eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. Her eyes sparkled, and she laughed. A quiet gentle laugh, accompanying her smile that makes my heart take off. She was breathtaking.

"Hey," I responded; some of my weariness could be detected in my tone.

"What's wrong?" she inquired. I was impressed by her ability to read me so well.

"Tough case, I can't figure out the motive. There's no connection between the victims that I can find, _'Aside from the bookstore, but that went nowhere,' _I thought to myself, before pulling myself back to the present. "But I shouldn't be telling you this anyway, what a way to start a date." _'Wait, date? Am I being to forward? Maybe she doesn't think this is a date, maybe she finally came to her senses.'_

"A date?" she questioned. I started to panic.

"Well, I mean, I uh…" I stuttered before I looked up at her. She had a small smile on her face, reassuring me that she was joking. I couldn't help it; I looked down at my coffee as a reflex. This girl was different. She seemed to genuinely like me; which was still hard to accept. I had the strangest desire do confide in the beautiful woman sitting in front of me, attentively watching me, waiting for my reaction. I looked into her eyes and I knew I was lost. I tried not to tell her about my life, attempting to shield her from the horrors I see every day; but she pulled the words out of me before I even realized what I was saying. It was the way the listened; the way she hung on my every word that made me want to talk to her. There was never any judgment in her eyes when I told her about my childhood. And when I told her about my family, there was a look of what seemed like a mix of awe and sadness I couldn't place.

She seemed so engrossed in what I was saying, but I needed to know more about her. I wanted to know what she liked and loved; what she hated and what made her tick. For the strangest reason, I needed to know everything about this wonderful girl sitting in front of me, quietly drinking from her coffee mug.

It only took one question to get her talking. She told me about her past; especially her sisters. It amazed me; the way she talked about them with an almost maternal affection. She loved them more than anything. And when she told me about school, she was almost embarrassed by her success. I was mesmerized by her voice. The way her lips formed her words; the way she bit her lip when she was thinking, and the way she twirled her hair around her index finger when her mind was somewhere else. I swallowed as she licked her lips, tearing my eyes away from her mouth to meet her eyes.

She was so much like me, but so completely different; it amazed me. The way she rambled, and blushed when she said something that revealed her intelligence. I could relate to her so easily, and she understood me like no one I'd ever met. She even listened when I started rambling statistics, seeming genuinely interested in what I was saying.

Soon, the owner of the café walked over to our table to inform us it was closing time. She looked up at her and blushed. Standing up slowly, she rocked back on her heels, playing with the intricate silver ring that adorned her left ring finger. I didn't want to leave her yet. I glanced out at the parking lot and saw that my car was the only one there; perfect.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" I asked her hopefully. She nodded, falling into step beside me as we left the café. As we were walking along the sidewalk, we were quiet. I didn't mind, though, it was nice just to be with her. I was aware of her ever movement as we walked along. The way her hair flowed gently in the breeze, the way her eyes scanned her surroundings, and the way her feet landed with the quietest thud against the concrete of the sidewalk. I felt a raindrop hit my face.

I looked down at her before the sky opened up, dumping torrents of water on top of our heads. I met her eyes, unsure how to react. The surprised look I saw there made me want to laugh. I looped my arm around her waist and led her down the street, both of us running through the rain; barely able to see the path ahead of us.

We burst into her apartment building, thoroughly soaked through with rainwater. I tried not to notice how her wet shirt clung to her figure, accenting her curves, sticking to her flat stomach. I swallowed, mentally shaking my head. I burst out laughing as soon as I met her eyes. Soon, tears were streaming down her face and she leaned on me for support. I tried to lead her to the elevator, but I was laughing so hard myself it was hard to focus. We finally made it to the elevator, and as it rose we managed to regain control of ourselves. I noticed her shivering from the cold. She pressed herself closer against my side, and I tightened my grip around her waist, wanting her closer to me. I felt her shiver against me, and because of my instinctual need to protect her, I tucked her into my jacket, trying to warm her with my body heat. She fit against me perfectly, and I suppressed a shiver as she pressed her face to me, her lips grazing the base of my neck. I was so afraid I may spontaneously combust, I was almost glad when the elevator stopped on her floor. Almost.

I walked with her to her front door, my arms never leaving her waist. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to unlock the door. On the third try, the door swung open and she pulled me inside with her. I was pretty sure she didn't even realize she hadn't invited me in. I guessed it was just expected.

"There's no way you're going back out in that, so make yourself at home. I have some sweats in my room that would probably fit you, if you'd like to change out of those wet clothes," she told me, hanging my coat a coat rack standing beside the door.

"That'd be great, thanks," I told her, as she walked into one of the bedrooms. I stood there for a moment, my eyes trained on the door she shut behind her, before walking into the living room. The décor seemed too girly for her, very bright and perky. I Imagined her apartment more subdued and sophisticated. The only thing that looked like it would belong to her was the back wall, half covered in cherry wood bookcases. I browsed the titles, surprised to find some of my favorite books on the shelves. I went back to the center of the living room, over to the couch, when a pile of books on the coffee table caught my eye. I leaned down to read the titles. _The Shadow of the Wind_, so this was the book she read that day in the bookstore; the one that she was so happy to receive. I moved over to her entertainment center, reading the titles of the many DVDs. A pile of CDs on a shelf above the television caught my eye. I smiled to myself, picking up a Lady Gaga albums. _'So you're mature in everything but you're taste in music,'_ I though to myself as I heard her walk up behind me.

I turned to looked at her; holding my breath when I saw her outfit. She was wearing an old concert tee for some band I didn't recognize, and no make up, which made her even more attractive. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders; I assumed she'd dried it. But what really caught my attention were her shorts. Tiny cut off red shorts, showing off legs the color of moonbeams. I had the strangest desire to touch them' to see if they were as smooth and soft as they looked. _'Shut up!'_ I mentally slapped myself, _'And don't just stand there staring at her like an idiot, say something! Anything at all!' _I glanced down to the CD in my hand, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I wouldn't have thought you liked pop," Phew. Crisis averted. _'Careful Spencer, you're moving into dangerous territory,'_ I thought dryly.

"Oh no, that's Megan's," she said with an affectionate smile, "I share this place with her and our friend Rebecca. We've been friends since the seventh grade." Well, that explained why the room didn't match her personality. I wondered if her bedroom was a better reflection of her. I stopped that train of thought before it could get out of hand; I shouldn't be thinking about her bedroom after one date.

"Then what kind of music do you listen to?" I asked her, hoping it would clear my head.

"I'm more of a classical kind of girl; Beethoven, Mozart." I grinned.

"I knew I wasn't the only person left in the world who appreciated classical music," I looked down at her and smiled. Our faces were only inches apart. She seemed to have noticed also. The playfulness that had previously occupied her eyes had been replaced with a quiet longing I didn't understand. She unconsciously licked her lips; making me shiver. She moved closer to me, antagonizing slow. She inclined her head, standing on her toes to reach me. I sucked in a breath of surprise before her lips gently touched mine.

_Author's Note: So what'd ya think? Click that little review button if you want another update; you know the drill. I apologize for any grammar mistakes, I wrote this fast. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, really, you're what's keeping me motivated. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner this time. Ok, that's all. Review and I'll be happy. Peace out._


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